I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.14. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 13.10 “Raring Ringtail” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA. Here’s what’s new:

Muon Update Manager

Thanks to the excellent work of my colleagues Aurélien Gâteau and Aleix Pol, the user interface for the Muon Update Manager has been streamlined to make it easier to use.

Additionally, resources provided by the new KNewStuff and Bodega resource backends in Muon Discover and the Muon Software Center can now be updated through the Muon Update Manager.

Muon Discover

Additionally, further work has been put into refining the Muon Discover frontend.

Upcoming Features

There are several features currently targeted for Muon Suite 2.1 that have not yet landed as of 2.0.65. These features include backends for both the Ubuntu software store (this includes Steam), as well as a PackageKit resource backend.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Packages for Kubuntu 13.04 are from the QApt repository, and in the main repositories for the development version of Kubuntu 13.10. Packages are set to be available as a release update in Kubuntu proper soon.

Further technical information about the release, including source tarball downloads and a detailed changelog, can be found at the project pages here and here.

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt PPA.

2.0? A rewrite?

Nope! I had to make changes to LibQApt that would prevent programs compiled against LibQApt 1.x from being able to run or compile against LibQApt 2.x. Muon Suite 2.0 simply means that it uses LibQApt 2.0. (In developer speak, this release breaks both ABI and API. It’s mostly source-compatible, but will require a few changes/additions in programs using LibQApt) I’ll write a separate post about LibQApt2 explaining the changes in detail. Most of my efforts this cycle have been towards LibQApt2, but this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new on the Muon front. 😉 (In fact quite a bit of work was done simply with the port to QApt 2.0)

KNewStuff3 support

Both the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover now support installing things via KDE’s KNewStuff framework version 3. This is the framework that allows developers to publish scripted plugins such as Plasma widgets to the world. Currently the Muon Software Center and Muon Discover have categories for Plasma widgets (as well as plugins for the Comics plasmoid) utilizing KNS3. Suggestions for further categories using KNS3 are welcome.

Aleix wrote about this feature in detail at his blog. As he wrote, the work in supporting multiple resource types opens up the possibility of new backends. (Perhaps a backend that grabs data from AppStream in the future) Exciting stuff.

Muon Discover UI Improvements

A lot of work has gone in to improving the user interface of Muon Discover by my colleagues Aurélien Gâteau and Aleix Pol Gonzalez. Muon Discover now integrates much better with the rest of KDE, and is in general easier to use.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

Plans for 2.1

Even though 2.0 has just been released, we’ve had some things on the back burner waiting for 2.1 that are already done. A plan for the feature set of 2.1 can be found here.

Due to human error, the tarball released for LibQApt and Muon 1.9.95 was actually a snapshot from git master (2.1 pre-alpha stuff). This was never meant for public consumption. The 1.9.97 (2.0 RC2) release consists of RC1, but with a proper tarball. Packages will soon be made available in the QApt Experimental PPA for Kubuntu 12.10, and packages for the development version of Kubuntu 13.04 will be available after Kubuntu 13.04 beta is released.

I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience, and am still kicking myself for allowing that to happen.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively, along with download links for the tarballs.

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA. Additionally, packages are available in the development release of Kubuntu 13.04, “Raring Ringtail”.

Most of the big stuff for 2.0 was announced in my previous post. This release mostly features bugfixes over the previous 1.9.80 (2.0 beta) release.

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.

I got a parcel in the mail the other day! The customs sticker said it contained a T-Shirt. My friend Jonathan Riddell sent the package, and the shirt looks rather spiffy, I think:

Festive Tree in the background. Awkward smile foreground.

I’ve never been one to be able to smile naturally for pictures, but here’s my best shot! Many thanks to Riddell, who gave away the leftover Kubuntu polo shirts from UDS to anybody who made a post like this.

I actually received the parcel at my parent’s house on the 13th of December, and was planning on doing this post last Sunday on the 16th However, on the 16th I began coming down with a bad case of the flu. (Get vaccinated! I forgot and paid the price.) From Monday until Wednesday I had a high fever (39.6°C or 103.3°F) complete with crazy flu dreams. I could hardly move until Thursday. I’m feeling much better now, (though I’m still blowing junk out of my nose) so that’s good.

I am proud to announce the first alpha release for Muon Suite 2.0. The Muon Suite is a set of package management utilities for Debian-based Linux distributions built on KDE technologies. Packages for Kubuntu 12.10 “Quantal Quetzal” are available in the QApt Experimental PPA.

Most of the big stuff for 2.0 was announced in my previous post. Some bug fixes have been applied, as well as some more boring behind-the-scenes restructuring of code. That’s why this is still an alpha release instead of a beta release. We have a few more features we’d like to get in, and then do a beta release. (I’ve been busy studying for final exams this past week, which is why the release is a bit late…)

Changelogs

Detailed changelogs for LibQApt and Muon can be found here and here, respectively.